


Eddie & Robin Go Look for a Scarecrow

by bluestalking, feverbeats



Series: Jason Red Robin Hood & His Friends The Rogues [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 14:45:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17900114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluestalking/pseuds/bluestalking, https://archiveofourown.org/users/feverbeats/pseuds/feverbeats
Summary: "I'm good at puzzles," Eddie says. "Genius level. But am I smart? Arguable." They have to keep this kid on their side. They are not going to be able to do this alone.Robin says, “Well, at least there’s two of us. If all else fails I can punch some guys.”Jon goes missing, Eddie worries, and Robin--for some reason--helps out.





	Eddie & Robin Go Look for a Scarecrow

Jon has been missing for three days. It isn’t long for Jon, except he’d especially promised Eddie to stay put until whatever is happening with the crime families has passed them by. 

Eddie's first instinct is not to go to Harvey about it, in case--Well, just in case. But there isn't anyone else who's likely to be helpful, and Eddie is getting really worried. Jon can take care of himself, except sometimes he can't, and that's how Eddie ends up shivering outside Harvey's apartment, texting him to open the door.

Harvey must be in a good mood, because he’s there right away, saying, “Christ, Eddie, come inside before you get pneumonia.” His hand is a gentle weight on the back of Eddie’s neck.

"Hn," Eddie agrees, squeezing past Harvey into the apartment. It would be so easy to just hang out here where it's warm and safe and nobody is having a gang war. But that wouldn't be fair to Jon. "Can I have something to drink?"

“Pick your poison,” Harvey says. “You look like you need black coffee.”

"Rum and Coke?" Eddie suggests, perching on one of Harvey's $300 bar stools.

Harvey rolls his eyes but serves it up. When the straw is in Eddie’s mouth, Harvey says, “You haven’t paid me a lot of social visits lately.” It’s a nudge, but not a particularly dangerous one—yet.

"Yeah," Eddie agrees. "I've been--there've been things." The urge to make it a riddle rises up, and Eddie pushes it away. "Have you heard from Jon?"

“Your sweetheart?” Harvey says. “Not lately. Did you misplace him?”

"Somebody did," Eddie says absently, swirling the drink. "It's been a few days. Things are--well, you know how things are out there, Harv."

“Dicey,” says Harvey. “But not in a way that should involve either of you, unless you’re making even worse choices than usual.”

"Jon makes bad choices," Eddie says unhappily. Sometimes. Depending. Eddie usually makes worse ones, but Eddie isn't missing. "Anyway, it doesn't have to be related to be scary."

“You should know it’s never safe,” Harvey says, a little condescending. He should know this is worse than normal. “Anyway, I don’t know where he is. I assume you didn’t check Arkham yet?”

Eddie's not going to Arkham unless it's absolutely necessary. " _No,_ Harvey. But I called. I can usually find things out if I call." Arkham is very profesional. Honestly, Eddie wishes Jon were there, though. It's at least a known quantity.

Harvey makes a dubious noise. “Then I don’t have any other suggestions. Unless you want to call Batman and ask him.”

"I thought about it," Eddie says. "But maybe let's go check Arkham instead. Just to be sure."

“Let’s?” Harvey repeats.

"Ha," Eddie says. "You think I'm going alone?"

“You don’t drop by for months—” An exaggeration. “—and then it’s no more than hello before you want me to drop everything and dig your boyfriend out of the insane asylum? Maybe he’s avoiding you, Ed. I wish I had.”

"If I didn't know better," Eddie says slowly, relishing it, "I'd say you were jealous. Are you jealous, Harv?"

“You can do what you want,” Harvey says. “If you want to play happily ever after with someone who can’t always remember your name, I’m not going to stand in the way. But you might want to consider a little more gratitude.”

That’s not fair. Jon always remembers Eddie’s name; it’s his own he forgets.

"I'm brimming with gratitude," Eddie says, as coldly as they can manage. The Coke is making their teeth hurt. "Are you scared to go outside in case someone mistakes you for a mobster?" That's a low blow, given the history. Too late.

“I could call an ambulance right now,” Harvey says. His voice is pitched a little differently from before. “I’m sure they’d be happy to accompany you to Arkham.”

Eddie slides off the stool. Years of knowing Harvey have made them quick on their feet. "Actually, I know the way. But thanks. Really, thanks."

“That’s more like it,” Harvey says roughly, as Eddie makes their way out the door. 

~

Arkham is as hideously awful as ever. The lights overhead feel like they’re about to choke to death, and the woman at registration is eyeing Eddie like a cockroach. They can’t tell if she wants to swat them or eat them. 

"So, hi," Eddie says, wincing at how their voice echoes. "I'm here to check out my boyfriend? If he's here?" Here would be better than out there, Eddie tells themself. Sure it would.

The woman looks extremely tired of them already.

“Who?” she says. Then she squints at them. “Oh. Wait, it’s you.”

Eddie takes a few steps backward, squirming. "It is, but I'm not currently a--patient. I'm here for Jonathan Crane? Doctor Crane?" They know they're being unhelpful to the whole situation, but they can't think straight here.

The woman at the counter amazingly says the least of what she could. She just says, “I thought you two only came in together. Well, I’m pretty sure he did come in a couple days ago.” She leans into her computer like she’s not convinced it’s going to tell her anything. “I don’t see him checked out, but there’s nothing on his chart the last twenty-four hours. You can go into the ward and look yourself if you want.”

"Oh, you're so helpful," Eddie says, and it probably helps that they're so clean and friendly. And that Arkham is such an unprofessional mess. They make their way down the hallway with its muddy lighting, trying very hard not to listen to anything.

There’s always the chance that someone they know will spot them from inside a cell. There’s also the chance that someone who knows them from in here will mistake them for a patient and lock them up. These are the risks they take. 

It feels worse the deeper into Arkham’s belly they go. They’re about to turn around when someone says, “Hey, Riddler. I bet I know why you’re here.”

Eddie freezes by instinct. What a terrible instinct. "I bet," they say. It could be anyone, here. "How about you guess?"

“It’s lonely to ask questions without anyone to answer them,” comes the reply. “The Riddler hates to be alone.” 

Mad Hatter.

Stupid persona. 

Eddie almost asks _Where's Jonathan?_ Questions are easier, but people like it when you have something to offer.

"Tell me where Jon is and I'll get you out, too," they say.

Mad Hatter shifts, where he’s seated in his bed, and fixes Eddie with a grin. 

“You didn’t get him out,” he says. “In fact, you got you in! I don’t think you’re much help to anybody.”

Honestly they’d probably just let Eddie sign him out if they asked, but Mad Hatter likes to be confounding. 

Eddie comes over and leans against the wall by the cell. "Jervis. Can't we just be friends?"

“I’d be delighted,” says Mad Hatter, “but I don’t know where he is. I only know where he was. Which was just across the way. Some people came and took him away.”

Eddie's throat goes dry and their heart clenches. "What kind of people?"

“Stern ones,” says Mad Hatter. “They weren’t rough, perhaps, but I wouldn’t have resisted and risked it if I were him!”

As if Jon has the common sense to decide. "I guess this is the part where I look for clues," Eddie says reluctantly. The woman at the front desk won't know. She didn't even know Jon was here.

“Have you tried asking Batman?” Mad Hatter says. 

Eddie winces. "That," they say, "is what Harvey said." They take out their phone and stare at it. They should have charged it at Harvey's house. "Okay," they say, more to themself than to Mad Hatter. "Okay. I'll do that." They turn and hurry off down the hall again, listening even less than before.

~

Batman is not happy when he shows up and it’s just Eddie waiting by the Bat Signal. He looks kind of startled, and then stares Eddie down.

“Is that the fucking Riddler?” Robin says, and starts laughing.

Eddie laughs, too, in surprise. The other Robin never swore like that. The fact that there _was_ another Robin is Eddie's little secret, they think. Some of the others may have noticed, but so far everyone's pretending it's not a thing.

"The fucking Riddler has a job for you," Eddie says. They haven't bothered to put on their whole costume, because it's really cold out, but they're wearing the mask.

“Unlikely,” Batman says, casting a quelling glance at Robin. Robin fidgets a little, but doesn’t apologize.

"I know you keep tabs on us," Eddie says bravely. Seeking Batman out is just not done. "And you don't like it when we're missing. Something of mine is missing, and I'll bet you'd like it found."

“I don’t think we’d want anything of yours,” Robin says. “Have you seen yourself?”

“Robin,” says Batman, and this time Robin crosses his arms and smiles. He really is not like the last one at all. It’s surprising more people haven’t noticed. Batman says, “Explain.”

"I'm not big on explanations," Eddie says patiently. "But I'm also short on time." They tug their coat closer around themself. So fucking cold, and Jon could be anywhere. "I lost Jon."

“Who’s Jon?” Robin asks.

“Scarecrow,” Batman says. 

“Oh, _Jonathan_ , Crane,” Robin says. “Right. How do you lose him? I mean, he makes himself pretty obvious normally?”

This kid doesn't even sound like the other Robin. He sounds like he's from the city.

"It depends," Eddie says. "But in this particular case, he was kidnapped from Arkham. And isn't that a crime?"

Batman doesn’t answer right away. “It’s a crime if it’s true,” he says. There. That’s almost like interest. “Kidnapped by who?”

"That's the question, isn't it?" Eddie says, unable not to.

It’s a mistake, like they knew it would be. Batman says, “I don’t have time for your games. And I don’t have time to hunt down your _friends._ ”

Eddie swallows. They knew that would be the answer, but it's still always hard, hearing just how little Batman thinks of all of them as people.

"Oh," they say.

Batman doesn’t even apologize or wish them well. He just turns to go.

Robin hesitates, giving Eddie an odd look before Batman says, “Robin,” sharply, and disappears into the darkness. Robin follows, so whatever that look meant, it doesn’t matter much.

Eddie waits until they're gone and then swears and swears. It's getting dark, and it's starting to snow. Eddie tries texting Jon again. Still nothing. They walk to the closest coffee shop and settle in to charge their phone and wait to get kicked out. They should have tried to get more from Jervis. Now they have nothing.

Three minutes before the coffee shop closes, someone comes through the door and orders a black coffee, to go. He’s wearing a hoodie under his jacket, and nice but well-loved boots. Eddie doesn’t see his face, but they notice that when he steps outside again, he doesn’t leave. Instead he tugs at his hat and stands outside the shop, stepping from foot to foot in the snow. 

Eddie really, really hopes this isn't a mugging situation. That may be paranoid thinking, but it happens to them a lot. They don't have any choice but to leave, though, when the barista pointedly dims the lights. Eddie yanks their charger out of the wall, puts the hood of their jacket up, and leaves.

They’re ready for it, yet not quite ready for it, when the guy from the coffee shop says, “Hey! Wait!” When they turn around, they see that he’s young, but more importantly, maybe, he’s wearing a mask under the hood.

"Oh," Eddie says. Their own mask is in their pocket. They feel like they should put it on. "Hi?"

“It’s me,” says the guy. Kid. Definitely a kid. “You know. Robin.”

"Oh!" Eddie says. "Yeah, I see that now." They manage to bite their tongue before asking a whole slew of personal questions. They don't think they're even going to get beat up. Why ruin it?

“You said you wanted help with the Scarecrow. Or, your boyfriend or whatever,” Robin says. “So do you, or what?”

"You're not like the first one," Eddie says, eyebrows raised.

“The first what?” Robin demands. 

"Robin," Eddie says. They take a step back. "No offense."

Robin laughs in a way Eddie can’t categorize. Safe? Unsafe? He says, “None taken.”

"I want your help, though," Eddie clarifies. Their shoes are soaked through already. "I won't ask too many questions about Batman. Or, well, I'll try."

“Good,” says Robin. “Because I’m not going to help you that way.”

"Ah," Eddie says. "Right. You're going to help how? Because I never got the impression that Robin was much of a detective." This kid can't even be eighteen. What's he going to do?

“And fuck you too,” Robin says cheerfully. “Anyway, I thought you were supposed to be smart. You really can’t figure it out yourself?”

"I'm good at puzzles," Eddie says. "Genius level. But am I smart? Arguable." They have to keep this kid on their side. They are not going to be able to do this alone.

Robin says, “Well, at least there’s two of us. If all else fails I can punch some guys.”

"Oh, thank god," Eddie says. "We're definitely going to need that skill, and I am _not_ the person for it." They do have a taser. But they're not going to share that information.

“Yeah, I know,” Robin says. “I’ve seen your fights.”

Eddie winces, partly in memory. "Yeah. So before we get to the punching, we need to find someone to punch. All I know is that someone took him out of Arkham, and I can't figure out why. Except that if it were me, I'd probably be doing it because I needed his skills. Which is bad news for everyone involved."

“No shit,” says this Robin. Does Batman wash his mouth out with soap? “I told Batman we should listen to you.”

Eddie is baffled. "Why? You give a shit?"

“No!” says Robin quickly. “I mean, like you said, it’s probably not good if someone wants the Scarecrow for something.” He hugs himself and holds his coffee up to his lips. “Anyway, you seemed upset. I thought something might be really wrong.”

Eddie has a million questions, go figure. Where does this kid come from? And how the hell can he stand Batman, who thinks everyone he throws is Arkham is just an empty costume?

"Well, Jon's my boyfriend," Eddie says. "I'm worried about him." What's the worst that'll happen, Robin will laugh at them and leave? He probably won't even do that. He came all this way.

“Huh,” says Robin. “The more you know. Is that like...good?”

"Is Batman good?" Eddie shoots back, defensive.

Robin gives a startled chuckle, and then says, “Shit. No offense. So they’ve got to have surveillance cameras at Arkham, right?”

He can’t have been on the job that long, or he would know.

"Yes," Eddie says, "but they all feed directly into Dr. Arkham's office, and I'm not going _there_." That will probably lead to more questions. Eddie prefers to be the one asking.

“Well I’ll go,” Robin says matter-of-factly. “What harm did a little break-in ever do?”

Eddie tilts their head. "So, are you infiltrating Batman's network, or…?"

“What’s that supposed to mean?” weird, criminal Robin asks. “I’m his partner. We fight bad guys.”

And break into places. And help sad gay criminals. "You're not fighting me," Eddie points out. "But I'm not complaining! God, my feet are really cold. Can we go somewhere else?"

“Like where?” Robin says. “Arkham? Or you could just tell me when he got snatched and I can go by myself.”

"Okay," Eddie says. Robin can stay a mystery for now. "It was sometime in the last three days. He was in Arkham for part of that. Ask the Mad Hatter. He saw it." _Good luck getting anything out of him,_ they add in their head.

“Sure,” says Robin. “By the way, if this is a set-up, I’m going to be pissed. Batman’s going to be _really_ pissed. It’s not a set-up, right?”

"If it was, you'd be walking right into it without looking back," Eddie points out. "Why do it at all?"

“I have instincts,” Robin says. “I’m not useless. If Batman doesn’t have time to follow a lead, why shouldn’t I do it?”

"Is that what you're going to tell him? It needs work, kid."

“I didn’t say he doesn’t know!” Robin says hotly. “Do you want help or not?”

"Yes, yes," Eddie says. "I really do. I'll give you my number and you can let me know if you find anything. And hey, be careful. It's a hornet's nest."

“Yeah, I know, I put half of those guys in there,” Robin says. It’s bravado, which Eddie knows, both because it’s a lie and because it’s so totally off the mark. He gets out a phone like he doesn’t know how much he’s told on himself and says, “Give me your number.”

Eddie gives him the number. "You should put it under, uh, a fake name," they suggest. In case Robin is really very stupid.

“Oh, how about next time I hand you my phone and you can put in a fake name yourself,” says Robin. 

"It will have clues in it," Eddie says. "So, there's that. Listen, I have to get off the street now, but let me know what you find?" They have a few more days before they need to move to a new apartment. They can at least sleep there tonight.

“Yeah, yeah, sleep tight or whatever,” Robin says, and turns his back on Eddie without having the decency to seem even a little bit worried about it. 

~

Eddie is not fully awake when someone starts banging on their window. It’s also not fully light. Before anything, they grope under the bed for their taser, heart beating wildly. They feel numb. They could go out the window on the other side, maybe--but it's a drop. If the crime families have expanded their war this far, which was inevitable, here's no way the door's not blocked, too.

But then--what if it's Jon?

Eddie presses themself against the wall and says loudly, "Yeah?"

A muffled voice comes through the glass. “It’s only me, let me in, I’m kind of in a hurry.”

Robin.

Eddie breathes out. Jesus. They shove the window up and help Robin inside, not that he needs it. "I gave you my number for a reason."

“My phone died,” Robin says. “Anyway, I found you, right?” Which is a damned mystery. “Listen, I think I know where your boyfriend is, but I don’t think you should go alone and I have to go to--uh. I have to go.”

"Wait," Eddie says sharply, grabbing Robin's arm. "You can't go. You need to tell me everything." Jon is alive, Jon is okay--well, let's stick with alive.

“I _have_ to,” Robin says. “You have _no_ idea how much trouble I’m--uh, I just really need to take a nap. Super beat.”

Even Eddie isn't this bad of a liar. "Okay," they say. Robin is just a kid. "But--soon? He's really important to me."

“As soon as I make an appearance,” Robin says. “Or...take a nap. Or whatever. Be good while I’m gone!”

"I'm good," Eddie mutters. The question is, is Robin good? What even _is_ Robin? Eddie bets they could find out his name, if they tried. For now, they're going to lock the window and worry about Jon. "Be careful," they add to Robin.

He grins, cheeky. “Bet you never thought you’d say that to _me,_ ” he says, and is out the window and onto the roof before Eddie can say anything back.

~

Eddie stays indoors. They text Jon a bunch more times. Nothing that would make anyone think he's been found, of course. Eddie's not stupid. They text Harvey, just to say hi. He doesn't text back.

Later in the day, they unlock the window. If Robin doesn't come back tonight, Eddie will have to figure this out alone. 

At about seven, though, there’s a quick knock on the pane, and then Robin is climbing in, wearing slightly different clothes and the same mask. 

“Sorry for the wait,” he says. “So. You know Carmine Falcone?”

Eddie shivers. "I do. That's...not an auspicious beginning." They're watching Robin for clues. A good riddle. A _difficult_ riddle.

“I don’t think it’s him,” Robin says. “I mean, I know who picked Scarecrow up. It was this nephew of Falcone’s, one Falcone doesn’t like very much. But I don’t know if that means he’s doing it for Falcone or something else.” He shrugs. “I thought you might have some genius ideas.”

Eddie grimaces. "Probably Sal Maroni. At least he's not as bright as Falcone is. But that definitely means Jon's with someone who has the resources to spread fear through all of Gotham. Uh, more than he already was."

“I mean, yeah, isn’t that what your _boyfriend_ does anyway?” Robin says. “I know why I’m worried about it, but I’m not sure why you are.”

"I don't know what they're going to do to make him do it," Eddie says through clenched teeth. It's not Robin's fault that he doesn't know Jon. There's a chance Jon doesn't even know he _can_ do it.

“I’m just saying, wouldn’t he be down for it?” Robin says.

"I don't know," Eddie says honestly. "He's not always in...Scarecrow head-space."

“Which is what, exactly?” Robin asks. “Zen, but for poisoning people? His hobby isn’t exactly yoga.”

"You don't know him at all," Eddie says, nettled. "He's a psychiatrist. He has a life. Maybe you can't relate."

“Sounds like an awesome psychiatrist to have,” says Robin. “I’m just saying, I don’t get why someone whose whole thing is scary gas would just not feel like poisoning if someone really big and violent asked him to.”

"For one, would you want to be the person who poisoned, for instance, Carmine Falcone?" Eddie demands. Just thinking about it makes them feel sick. "But that's if he's even in his right mind. Or his wrong mind. I don't know, imagine someone asking Batman's secret identity to fight crime."

Robin considered. “You’re saying he’s nuts,” he says. 

"Don't you know we're all nuts?" Eddie asks nastily.

Robin shrugs like it doesn’t bother him either way. 

“But you’re saying he might not be able to help us out when we get to him,” he says. 

"Right," Eddie says. "Even if he's not hurt, he might not be... coherent." It hadn't occurred to them that Jon could turn out to be coherent.

“Fine. I just like to know ahead of time,” Robin says. “So…want to hunt down a mini mobster?”

"Nope," Eddie says. "But let's do it."

~

Between the two of them, Robin and Eddie have a pretty good idea of where Sal Maroni will be. On their way, they try to plan for various expediencies.

“If he’s working for Falcone,” says Robin, “that’s the worst that could happen. Because then if we beat him up we’ve got Falcone good and mad. On the other hand, if he wants to poison Falcone…”

"Either way we're dealing with angry mobsters," Eddie says. "I should have asked Harvey to come along."

“Ehhh,” says Robin. “I’m all right with this. Anyway, I can handle myself. You worried or something?”

"Yes," Eddie says. The first Robin would have been, too. Of course, the first Robin wouldn't have been helping at all. "I don't know of you picked up on this, but I'm not much use in a fight."

“We’ll be fine,” Robin says easily. “Trust me.”

Eddie does not trust him. But they don't really have a choice. Jon doesn't have anybody else.

Robin eyes them. “Do you want to dress up for this?” he asks. “I don’t really know how secret identities work for you.” It’s hard to say whether he means you, Eddie, or _you people_.

"I'm okay," Eddie says. "There's not really--not much is _secret_ at this point." Everyone knows Eddie, and nobody cares about their name or face one way or the other. Besides, sometimes jeans are more practical. And anyway… "Why invite comments from non-costumed criminals, you know?"

“Well, I’m not doing that,” Robin says. “Batman would kill me. I would kill me.”

"Batman would already kill you," Eddie says. "But think about it. You're going to be showing a whole lot of people that Robin's involved in saving Scarecrow's life. That'll get back to Batman."

“I’m going to be involved in keeping Scarecrow from detonating in the middle of a mob war,” Robin says. “Anyway, you don’t know what Batman knows. He’s just too busy to come along.”

Eddie already solved that riddle, but they're not going to push it. "Mm hm. Then you can wear your cute little Robin outfit and I'll wear this. It wouldn't matter, anyway. Mine's not armored."

“You’re so fucking rude,” Robin says. “Come on, it’s not much further.”

~

The townhouse where Sal Maroni is holed up is nice--nicer even than Jon’s very nice condo. From across the street and up high, Robin says, “Fancy.” He says it right in Eddie’s ear.

"O _kay_ ," Eddie says, exhaling in sudden anxiety. "I'm not a detective, and you're a high school student. This feels like a mistake." They're just talking. Of course they can't back out now.

“High school is kind of a hobby,” Robin says. “Someone else’s hobby, which I happen to have to do. You wanna see me do what I’m _really_ good at?”

"I never thought I'd say this, but yes," Eddie says. They've felt how hard the kid can hit.

“Well then come on,” Robin says.

Robin gets them into the townhouse with the stealth and ease of a rat. Eddie can see, now, why Arkham wasn’t a worry to him. It’s funny, because it’s the kind of skill Batman _would_ teach his proteges, but if Eddie had to guess they’d say Robin has been breaking and entering since the tender age of five.

Eddie follows Robin inside, feeling incredibly conspicuous. The house is crawling with Maroni's men; Eddie can feel it even when they don't see anyone.

"There's also a chance Jon will resist," they whisper, following Robin down a back hallway.

“What, you?” Robin asks. “Shit, nothing’s easy, is it?” He comes to an abrupt halt and shoves Eddie behind a clock. A man walks by with a sandwich. Robin and Eddie are breathing the same cubic centimeter of air.

When the man is gone, Eddie goes boneless, holding themself up by Robin's arm. They are not cut out for this shit. "Tell me you have a gun," they whisper. Batman doesn't do guns, but this kid doesn't seem at all inclined to follow Batman's rules.

“If I need one, I’ll take one,” Robin says. “Come on.”

They make their way deeper into the house, which is more horrifying every step of the way. There’s a brief pantomime where neither of them can decide whether to go upstairs or downstairs, which would be hilarious in other circumstances. 

Eddie feels cold with panic by the time they reach the upstairs hall. Thick carpet, three closed doors. They could make a guess at which door is right, but they don't have nearly enough information.

"We're screwed," they whisper. "It could be any of these rooms, and even if we get it right, Jon's probably not alone. How many of them do you think you can take?"

“Plenty,” Robin says. “You can listen, can’t you?” He’s already moving ahead to the middle door, planting his ear against it.

Eddie anxiously moves to the door closest to them and listens. They can hear two low voices, making conversation about a morning talk show. Neither of them sounds like Maroni, and it's nothing to do with Jon. Eddie flashes Robin two fingers and then moves to join him.

Robin gestures emphatically at the door and mouths, “MA RO NI.” 

Eddie swallows and nods. Great. Great, just great. This is so dumb and crazy and suicidal. They press their ear to the door. Someone recognizably Maroni says, “I don’t fucking want to hear you can’t get him to tell you where it is. You’re going to fucking get him to tell you where it is, and we’re going to use it, and then we are going to save Mr. Falcone’s grateful life.”

That’s the plan? Stupid plan.

Robin suddenly dodges to the last door on the hall and listens closely. A moment later, he points at the door and mouths, “BOY FRIEND?”

Maroni says, “And I don’t give a shit how much insight he has into your childhood trauma, he’s not your fucking psychiatrist!”

Eddie's heart seizes with both relief and panic. That's their Jon. So fucking good at his job. Eddie moves quickly and quietly down to Jason. "This one?" they whisper, barely audible.

Robin tilts his head, to say _listen._ When Eddie does, they hear a soft and familiar voice saying, “Have you been blaming yourself for her feelings for all these years?”

“Well, it kind of seems like if I was the one upsetting her, that’s kind of on me,” says somebody.

“That’s a very simple way of looking at it,” says Jon.

Eddie has to bite their fist in order to calm down. Jon is so amazing and hilarious and professional and competent and _he is alive._ Alive and able to have a conversation. Eddie steps away from the door and gestures to Robin. "Plan?" they whisper.

Robin contemplates the ceiling for a moment, and then heads back down the hall to door number one. “You’re going to want to follow me in,” he says. “Because we’re not staying long.”

He very carefully opens the door. He and Eddie step through it. The two guys talking about daytime television stare at them. Robin shuts the door.

“Who the fuck are you?” says one of the guys, and Robin moves. He’s too quick to be caught and he hits hard. The first one goes down, Robin shoves a chair under the doorknob, the second guy hits him across the face. But the kid doesn’t get phased at all. He hits back, and the second guy falls to the floor in a heap.

“Okay,” says Robin, as voices and the sounds of people moving arise from the next room. “Time to go. You’re good with climbing along tiny-ass stone ledges two stories above the ground, right?”

"Oh shit," Eddie says, but now they're shot through with adrenaline, as much from hearing Jon as from the fight, and they're willing to try. Anyway, it won't be the first time they've done something like that. They slip past Robin and let themselves out the window, survival instincts kicking in as they hear a door slam.

“Go go go go go,” Robin says, and Eddie hears him kick one of their downed opponents, which means that either he’s a little sadistic or they _really don’t have much time._ Banging starts at the door. “For real,” Robin adds.

Cursing under their breath, Eddie makes their way along the ledge. There aren't good handholds, and it's fucking freezing, but _Jon._ Eddie moves fast past the window of the second room, but everyone's already out of there. When they reach the window of Jon's room, they're just praying it's not locked.

It's not, and Eddie swings inside, taser in hand just in case.

There are three people in the room besides them and Jon. Jon doesn’t get up, because he’s tied to a chair, but the other three most certainly do. Things look a little ugly for Eddie, except in that second Robin comes swinging in like bloody murder. The mobsters look stunned. They don’t know what’s hitting them. Literally, they don’t, because Robin is in the wrong costume, but even aside from that you just wouldn’t expect one kid in a sweatshirt and a mask to secretly be an entire pack of hyenas. 

One of them swings at Robin from behind, and Eddie tases him before his fist can connect. It's incredibly satisfying.

“Eddie,” says Jon. He sounds pleased. “I think you purchased that illegally.”

Robin smothers the last of their adversaries unconscious, and then gets to his feet. 

“Okay,” he says, “we should probably get out of here.”

Jon looks at Robin and then at Eddie. “I don’t know what that is,” he says.

"Less nocturnal, more friendly," Eddie says. "Believe me, we're going to talk about it at length later." They untie Jon and help him out of the chair. "Come on, fast."

Jon is a little less clearheaded up close, and his face is bruised. He says, “I’m a professional, Edward, I can’t just go gallivanting.”

“You’re going to want to gallivant,” Robin says. 

Eddie heaves Jon's arm across their shoulders and starts to drag them toward the door with relative ease. They have a lot of experience with this, and they're not getting shot because Jon is having a breakdown.

“Hey, puzzle genius,” Robin says, “what do you call a hallway with one exit and a pack of angry mobsters?” He grabs the chair Jon was tied to and shoves it under this doorknob. There are voices in the hall, sure enough.

“Let’s go before they start shooting,” Jon says. “Don’t you think?” He shakes his head slightly. “They shoot right through everything. Very messy. We’ll be. That is. Messy.” This close, Eddie can feel him shivering.

Robin is getting out a grappling hook. 

"It's okay," Eddie tells Jon unconvincingly. "Jonathan, hey. I need you to be able to climb down." They slap Jon sharply, which usually helps.

He looks at Eddie like it’s a full challenge and slowly nods. “With that,” he says.

“With me, yeah,” says Robin. “I’m strong, okay? Just grab on and I’ll take care of it.” He catches the grappling hook in the window frame and gestures to Eddie to go first. It’s not immediately clear if Jon will let Robin touch him anyway. Jon has always been a little hands off. 

"Okay, I--" Eddie starts cycling through other options, but there's no time. They start to climb down. "Jon, trust me. Robin, slap him if he won't do it." They feel briefly guilty, but they want Jon to live.

“Not polite,” says Jon. “I should—you should have a little fear in—”

“Oh no we don’t,” says Robin, and Eddie feels the rope wobble as more moving weight is added to it. Thank god it has knots tied in as holds.

Eddie scrambles down as quickly as possible, mindful of the possibility of being shot, and of Jon suddenly flailing out of Robin's control. As soon as Eddie hits the ground, they press themself against the building to wait for success or disaster.

Miraculously, Jon doesn’t fight. He doesn’t even seem to be breathing. Robin gets them both to the ground and hands Jon over to Eddie. As Jon’s brittle weight settles on Eddie, Robin hisses, “Now would be a good time for everybody to run.”

"We'll be sitting ducks--" Eddie starts, but not in the dark, not in their street clothes. They drag Jon along, muttering hopefully-comforting things to him. "Harvey's going to kill us," they add.

Robin says, “That’s relatable!” 

There are shouts in the distance—hopefully not coming this way? How much luck can they possibly have? 

“Come on, come on,” Robin whispers. They are beating a retreat as fast as possible, but it feels kind of like a nightmare. The nightmare grows abruptly worse when Robin turns a corner, says, “Oof!”, and bounces backwards into Eddie, and says, “Oh, shit.”

One of the two large, dark figures says, “ _Language.”_

"Fuck," Eddie says, scrabbling to hold Jonathan up.

“If you’re going to yell,” Robin says, “now may be not the time to—is that _Two-Face?”_

"Watch your mouth," Harvey says, and Eddie gives a panicky little chortle. _Harvey._ What the fuck is going on?

“We are going to have a discussion,” says Batman. That is when Sal Maroni himself catches up to them. He gasps horribly.

“Batman!” And then, incredulous: “Two-Face?”

“That’s what I said!” says Robin. 

“If it is Two-Face, it’s your fault,” Batman says. “You’re supposed to keep things in the family, Maroni.”

"Been in my territory, Sal?" Harvey asks, giving Eddie and Jon a meaningful look. It would probably be sexy if it wasn't so infuriating.

Maroni stutters. “I asked the man a question, that’s all!” he says. “On behalf of my dear Uncle Carmine. I was concerned for my beloved uncle’s well being.”

“It took you three days to ask him a question?” Robin says. “You must be a moron.” Jon starts giggling. 

"What was the question, Jon?" Harvey asks, straight-faced.

“You’re going to use your freak gas on Carmine Falcone,” says Jon helpfully, “or we’ll very very slowly cut you into teeny tiny ribbons.”

"Doesn't sound like a question," Harvey says, eyebrows raised at Maroni.

Eddie squeezes Jon's hand tightly.

“That’s not what happened,” Maroni says. “I would never harm my dear uncle.”

“Your uncle isn’t your first concern now,” Batman growls. Robin edges closer to him, hands in fists.

"Now, you know Batman doesn't kill people," Eddie says. "But Harvey definitely does."

"Thanks, I was getting to that," Harvey says. "What was that you said, Jon? Ribbons?"

“Now, Harvey,” says Jon, “now everyone. There’s been a lot of negative talk. What can we do to be constructive and support one another’s feelings?”

Batman frowns at him.

“He’s a psychiatrist,” says Robin.

“I know,” Batman says darkly.

"I'm going to shoot him in the face," Harvey says. "Would that be constructive, Jon, hm?"

"No," Eddie says. "Because then the mob war will turn on us. We've done such a good job of avoiding that." Besides, there's only so much Batman will put up with from them.

“Maroni,” says Batman, menacing as all fuck, “you don’t want to remember this. You don’t want to be on my bad side. You don’t want to be on Falcone’s bad side. You don’t want me to leave you alone with Harvey, either.”

Maroni sort of freezes in place. A couple of his guys are coming up. One of them says, “Whoaaaa, _shit.”_

Harvey looks at Batman appraisingly. "What he said."

"If there's a car, I can put Jon there," Eddie says, giddy with how lucky they've all been.

“I can help,” Robin says.

“I’m sure you can,” says Batman. “Dent?”

"I'll handle these two,” Harvey says, putting a heavy hand on Eddie's shoulder. "As I'm sure you can handle your wayward creature."

Batman grunts, and Robin rolls his eyes. 

“Maroni,” says Batman, “do you understand what’s going to happen now?”

Maroni snarls, “Piss off, I wasn’t going to do anything, anyway.”

Batman doesn’t even bother to answer. He swoops off into the night. 

Robin says, “Hey, that was pretty, it was, anyway, I’m sure we’ll see you.” He waves as he disappears.

Maroni takes one look at Harvey’s smile and says, “Come on, boys!” and starts to hustle back up the street.

Eddie has no desire to stick around. They prop Jon up and see if he'll stand. "Ready to go home?"

“Yes. Thank you,” Jon says. “Watch out, I think Harvey is annoyed with you.”

"I should be annoyed with him," Eddie says. "Robin and I saved Gotham from devolving into chaos without his help. And we saved you."

"You should have just done what he wanted," Harvey says. "Get in the car."

They maneuver in with a little bit of struggle, but Jon has been in worse shape than this and Eddie is good at managing. They try to buckle him in, but he pushes them off and lies down instead.

Eddie gets in the back with him, putting his head in their lap. When Harvey starts the car, they say, "If you wanted in, Harv, you should have said so."

“Harvey takes things for granted,” Jon murmurs, “because he’s very hard to break.”

"You two--" Harvey starts. He shakes his head. "I came out here for you, didn't I? With Batman, of all things?"

So he _was_ worried.

“That’s good,” Jon says. The professional tone has worn out of his voice. “That’s good. I couldn’t stop being angry for much longer.”

If you get angry, you’re the Scarecrow, and if you’re the Scarecrow, they deploy you like a bomb and you’re destroyed along with the target. 

Eddie threads Jon's hair through their fingers. "You did such a good job," Eddie says. "You knew I was coming for you, right?"

“Of course,” Jon says. “Unless you got stuck in Arkham, I thought.”

"Almost!" Eddie says, faux-cheerful.

"And Robin?" Harvey asks, meeting Eddie's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Unsolved mystery," Eddie says.

“Ask him in for coffee,” says Jon. “Or I can make an appointment.”

"He may be reckless and disobedient," Eddie says, "but he's not crazy." They let that comment remain ambiguous.

Jon signs, and Eddie wonders how much is exhaustion and how much is pain. 

“My house,” Jon says. “All right?”

"Still in the same neighborhood, Jon?" Harvey asks.

“That’s right,” says Jon.

They get to Jon's house without further comment from Harvey. He leaves the car running when Eddie helps Jon out.

"Need a hand getting him inside?" he asks, as if Jon can't hear him.

"We're fine," Eddie says, politely not mentioning that they've managed all of this so far without Harvey's help.

“Very good evening to you,” Jon says. The words bang into each other on the way out of his mouth, but at least he sounds like himself. 

There’s a brief moment after the car pulls away when they both realize but neither one has a key; but it turns out that Jonathan hid one behind the number on his neighbor’s condo.

“Because if they find it they won’t know where to go,” he explains.

Eddie helps him inside, more out of wanting to stay in close physical proximity than because Jon needs it. "Let's get you into bed," they say. "You're okay without a doctor?" None of them go to doctors unless they can't help it, but it's good to check.

Jon doesn’t want a doctor, just aspirin and a shower. He looks terrible naked, but he can stand up on his own as long as he keeps one hand on the wall, and he’s much happier when he comes out of the bathroom clean and dry.

“Also,” he says, “I’m hungry.”

"Do you have bread and cheese?" Eddie asks. "I can make grilled cheese. Or, no, maybe you have rich-person leftovers." Being in Jon's house is a weird dose of reality. But Eddie’s offer is the one Jon goes for, actually, along with a startling amount of raw broccoli and some cashews.

“A well-rounded diet,” he says.

Showered, fed, mended, clothed, and tucked in bed, Jon finally starts looking at Eddie like they’re a hundred percent real. 

"Hi," Eddie says. They're curled up on the edge of the bed, watching Jon. "How you doing?"

“I’ve had a very exciting time,” Jon says. “It was nice of you to come get me. I’m still confused about Robin.”

"Honestly, so am I," Eddie says, squirming into bed next to Jon. "I don't know why he would help us, but he did, and he risked a lot. Batman can't be happy."

“I would love to sit down with them both,” Jon says, and then makes a nervous sound. “Or not.”

"Let's just be thankful we're alive for now," Eddie says. "And that we've got ourselves off the crime families' radar." Oh, they hope.

“Very good,” says Jon. His eyes narrow. “Although I very much would like to pay them a visit.”

"Later," Eddie says, a little alarmed. Although they're absolutely certain that Jon will do it. He's just going to have to do it without backup. But if they don't seem him coming, he'll destroy them.

The fire in Jon’s eyes banks a little. He smiles at Eddie. “It’s very late,” he says. “Come here.”

Eddie wriggles closer, so their legs are entwined with Jon's, trying to be mindful of bruises.

“That’s very nice,” Jon says. He leans against Eddie, and in another minute or two, Eddie can feel him fall asleep.

~

It's a week before Eddie sees Robin again. Eddie isn't technically doing anything illegal, at least not yet, so they don't expect company. They're just in the process of setting up a telescope on the roof of a building downtown. Jon is well enough that Eddie feels okay going out and thinking about new plans.

Jon says, “Eddie, did you know that someone else is on this roof?”

"What?" Eddie yelps, jerking around.

Not many feet away, looking equally like a cat with water on it, is Robin. He’s suited up—it’s kind of a relief to know there’s a winter version—and already starting to play it cool.

“Oh,” he says. “Hey.”

"Oh hey," Eddie echoes. "Like you just happened upon us. Without Batman."

“Okay, that’s fair,” Robin says. 

“You shouldn’t try to fool them,” Jon says. “They’re very clever.”

“I said it’s fair,” Robin says crankily. 

Eddie smiles at Jon and relaxes a little. "So this is a social call," they say. "Did you get fired?" If he did, they're definitely recruiting him.

“What? Oh, no,” says Robin. “He’d never fire me. I’d be too much trouble out here.” He grins, not seeming to worry that Batman might think he’s one step shy of being one of them.

"Well, if you change your mind," Eddie says, now more convinced than ever that he will. "Thanks, by the way. I didn't get a chance to say that."

Robin shrugs. “It rubbed me the wrong way,” he says. “Anyway, people who kidnap the bad guys have got to be worse guys, right? I knew it wasn’t anything good.”

"Congratulations, you have a stronger moral center than Batman," Eddie says, meaning it.

Robin makes a noncommittal noise and kicks at the rooftop.

“Why are you here?” Jon asks curiously. 

“Just saying hey. You know, before last week I never met you when you weren’t—” Robin makes a Scarecrow Mask gesture. 

Eddie's always a little offended on Jon's behalf when people only like one side of him, but it's not like they don't get it. "He really is a psychiatrist. Not mine, of course."

“That would be unethical,” Jon says.

“Right,” says Robin. “Because—right.”

"Which part of that is weird for you, just curious," Eddie says. They're pretty sure it's not the gay things. They're pretty sure it's that Batman never said costumed criminals had lives.

“It’s fucking weird! Don’t pretend it’s not. Are you trying to make more customers with the whole Scarecrow thing or what?” Robin asks. 

Jon looks delighted. “People need to feel things,” he says. “It’s cathartic.”

Robin crosses his arms.

“Cathartic,” Jon repeats.

“Okay, but if I ever see you doing that, you know I have to stop you, right?”

"You don't have to do anything," Eddie says. "But yes, I'm sure we both understand. It's how things always are."

Robin holds up his hands and shrugs. “I don’t think it’s that simple,” he says. “But you’re probably not going to change, huh?”

“No more than Batman,” Jon says precisely.

Robin hesitates, then smiles.

“Take care,” he says. “Don’t get kidnapped.”

“You don’t get kidnapped,” Jon retorts.

"Too late, though," Eddie mutters, but loud enough to be heard.

Robin looks like he’s not sure who is being insulted.

"Just saying, if you want a broader world view and fewer rules, you have my number," Eddie says cheerfully.

Robin laughs. “All right,” he says. “I’ll call you.” He steps off the side of the roof, and is gone. 

“Nice boy,” Jon says. He fiddles with Eddie’s telescope.

"He has potential," Eddie says. "If we live to be the older generation, we could nurture it."

Jon leans down to kiss their forehead. “You’ll be a wonderful mentor,” he says. “Now, move over. I want to look, too.”


End file.
